Eddie Jones on why England's stars haven't fired yet in the Six Nations
Eddie Jones predicts England’s Guinness Six Nations title showdown with Ireland will be a classic as a host of players are vying to prove they are Europe’s top dogs.
The rivals meet at Twickenham on Sunday with Jones’ World Cup finalists desperate to claim the win that will keep them in title contention and Andy Farrell’s men equally determined to continue their Grand Slam march.
The contest is littered with collisions between Lions team-mates driven to demonstrate they are the continent’s finest in their position, not least between captains and playmakers Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton.
“Ireland have a number of players who espouse to be number one in Europe,” Jones said.
“And we have a number of guys in our team who espouse to be number one in Europe. I think that means it will be a titanic clash.”
Two personnel who will be hoping to lay down an early marker for the 2021 Lions tour are locks Maro Itoje and James Ryan, who could be packing down together in South Africa in 18 months’ time.
“They are both massive work rate players. Ryan has an incredible work rate, as does Maro. And they are both destructive,” Jones said.
“That head to head clash is pretty interesting because they set the intensity for their teams to a large degree. Maro definitely does for us.”
Along with several of his team-mates, Itoje has yet to hit full throttle in the 2020 Six Nations but Jones insists he is about to rediscover the type of form that made him a force at the World Cup.
“Maro’s getting back to his best. He will definitely be at his best on Sunday. We have seen each week that he has progressed,” Jones said.
“The World Cup took a lot out of our boys – mentally and physically – and then having come back and played consistently for their clubs, it’s been difficult for them.
“That’s part of the deal and you have to get through it, but now I think we will see the best of some of our players.”
Courtney Lawes was nursing an ugly black eye as he promised Ireland a ferocious battle up-front.
Lawes’ right eye was almost shut due to extensive bruising sustained during a collision in training on Thursday but the Northampton lock-cum-flanker insists he will be ready for a pivotal clash at Twickenham.
“It’s just a boo boo! Nothing too crazy. It’s all fine… just a clash, my head on something, not sure what,” Lawes said at the eve-of-match captain’s run press conference.
“I’m hoping it will go down a bit by tomorrow. It’s all right – I got through today so I was all right.”
Ireland are chasing the Grand Slam after accumulating wins against Scotland and Wales but England amassed 89 points in two emphatic victories over their old rivals last year.
“We’re expecting a pretty physical battle. Up front they have got a really good pack, a big pack, so that is a big area for us to front up and show we want it,” Lawes said.
“We want to get out there and get at them. I’m really looking forward to it.
“Playing at Twickenham can be a big advantage, but it can also turn against you if you don’t get it quite right.
“It is what you make of it.”
Eddie Jones and George Ford ahead of Ireland clash:
Comments on RugbyPass
Best situation in the world for the potential of his success in the NFL. Cutthroat, we’ll yeah little buddy, that’s one of the reasons why, at least in the States, it is by far and away the best sports draw. The point is: It’s not only that he’d have Mahomes as his QB, and all the T. Kelce blocking bullshit needs to stop (he’s not a prototypical blocking TE ya numb nuts), it’s that he will have arguably one of the greatest football minds in Andy Reid scheming for him. In the NFL, the most important thing is situation. If the ignoramus Jets signed him, then he’d be screwed from go.
3 Go to commentsWe’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
3 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to comments